The downstairs bar at Black Cat. Part of how designer Craige Walters creates moody atmosphere in his projects is by using “pools of light” for shadow and ambiance.

The downstairs bar at Black Cat. Part of how designer Craige Walters creates moody atmosphere in his projects is by using “pools of light” for shadow and ambiance.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

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View from the cellar stage where jazz musicians will perform at Black Cat, part of the swank supper-club vibe of the space.

View from the cellar stage where jazz musicians will perform at Black Cat, part of the swank supper-club vibe of the space.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

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Owner Fritz Quattlebaum leans against the first-floor bar at Black Cat, his new Tenderloin hot spot.

Owner Fritz Quattlebaum leans against the first-floor bar at Black Cat, his new Tenderloin hot spot.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

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A quote from Elizabeth Taylor is seen on the back of a menu at Black Cat.

A quote from Elizabeth Taylor is seen on the back of a menu at Black Cat.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

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The menu at Black Cat Bar.

The menu at Black Cat Bar.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

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The corner sign at Black Cat bar and the building's Hotel Verona sign.

The corner sign at Black Cat bar and the building's Hotel Verona sign.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

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The Hotel Verona building in the Tenderloin houses Black Cat on the ground floor.

The Hotel Verona building in the Tenderloin houses Black Cat on the ground floor.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Black Cat embraces gritty glamour of the Tenderloin

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In the face of an ever-changing San Francisco, the Tenderloin is one of the neighborhoods that retains the artistic grit that has been its calling card since the days of noir writer Dashiell Hammett. It’s exactly that spirit and history that attracted restaurateur Fritz Quattlebaum to the area for his latest venture, Black Cat, a bar, restaurant and music venue that celebrates the richness of the ’loin.

“This place could only exist in the Tenderloin,” says Quattlebaum proudly. “Black Cat evolved out of this neighborhood and this space. The legacy of this neighborhood is so rich culturally, architecturally. It’s the oldest part of the city, and there’s a vibe with that.”

Black Cat’s design by Craige Walters pays homage to that vibe in everything from the smoky wall finishes and photo murals featuring neighborhood landmarks to the graffitied mirrors behind the bars and the luxuriously murky velvet on the banquettes.

“I wanted to make people feel like they were in an undiscovered place that could have been there since the ’40s,” says Walters of his design concept for the former Chinese restaurant and retail space. “We imagined a place that may have been boarded up for years: Then you took off the boards, and here it was.”

Black Cat’s two floors include a stage in the cellar for resident jazz musicians, although Quattlebaum and Walters also envision it being available for poetry readings and burlesque performances.

“It’s that supper club environment,” Quattlebaum says. “You can come late at night and get good food, you can have great cocktails or a bottle of Champagne, hang out with your friends and listen to good music in your night at Black Cat. I’ve always thought about it in those terms: ‘One night at Black Cat …’”